Hawk dies

NEW YORK (AP) - A red-tailed hawk that became an avian sensation when a webcam followed her nesting and rearing a chick on a high-rise ledge died after surgery to amputate her badly injured foot, a wildlife rehabilitation group said.

Violet, the female in a pair of hawks that roosted outside the New York University president's office this year, abruptly had a heart attack Thursday after seeming to emerge in good shape from the procedure, Wildlife In Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation announced on its Facebook page. A veterinarian tried to revive her for 20 minutes, to no avail.

"She was warm, peaceful and had a full belly and pain medication," said the organization, based in North Massapequa, N.Y. "We just couldn't get her in time."

Violet, believed to be about 5 years old, and mate Bobby built a nest last winter outside NYU President John Sexton's office on the 12th floor of a building overlooking Washington Square Park.

The New York Times trained a webcam on the nest in April, and the live feed drew more than 1 million online viewers during its 2 ½ months. They looked on as Violet tended to three eggs and cheered when a lone chick, soon named Pip, hatched on Mother's Day.